Tiffany Studios Turtle Back Glass Shade, ca. 1915
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GUEST:
Well, I more or less inherited it when my grandfather passed away in 1964. It was purchased directly from Tiffany. Actually, my grandfather purchased four lamps on February 11, 1915.
APPRAISER:
Which lamp is this lamp?
GUEST:
Uh, the one valued at $90 at the time...
APPRAISER:
And...
GUEST:
...the cost.
APPRAISER:
$90, and so that was the dining room lamp.
GUEST:
That was the dining room lamp.
APPRAISER:
I also noticed that you brought a photograph of it hanging in the dining room. What, what year would you say this was?
GUEST:
That is 1967 and that was Christmas Day. And that's my mother, my father, and a cousin of mine.
APPRAISER:
Oh, that's great. Well, I want to tell you, Tom, that this lamp is the stuff that Tiffany dreams are made of. It has everything going for it.
GUEST:
Thank you.
APPRAISER:
It's in fabulous condition. It's had two owners: your grandfather and then you.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
And it came directly from Tiffany Studios.
GUEST:
Yep.
APPRAISER:
It has the original patina. It has something also very special, which is the original hardware.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
Many times, when people removed hanging Tiffany shades from homes, they took the shade and they left the hardware behind. And probably 90% of the hanging shades out there today do not have their original hardware, but you have that, and that actually adds value to the lamp.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
This is called a turtle back glass lamp.
GUEST:
Okay, I've heard that term.
APPRAISER:
There are green turtle backs, red turtle backs, and yellow turtle backs. This is probably one of the nicest green turtle back lamps I've ever seen. And it is signed, but I'm not even going to show you the signature, mainly because this lamp is a signature in itself. It's just 100% right. Do you have any idea what it's worth?
GUEST:
I was told about 25 years ago that, uh, it was somewhere between $12,000 and $15,000 at that time.
APPRAISER:
Okay. If this were for sale in a retail shop, I could see it selling easily for $150,000.
GUEST (chuckling): You're kidding.
APPRAISER:
No, I'm not. (laughs)
GUEST:
All's I can do is say thank you. I appreciate it, thank you.
APPRAISER:
So, thank you.
GUEST:
Thank you very much.
APPRAISER:
Thanks for bringing it, it's gorgeous.
GUEST:
Wow.
Appraisal Details
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